Gaston County commissioners are among a local faction that want the state to shield gun permits from the public view.

Based on a pair of bills that have already been filed in Raleigh, an army of lawmakers could be supporting them.

“I’d say this has a really good shot of passing,” said Rep. Dana Bumgardner, R-Gaston.

Five legislators represent Gaston County in the N.C. General Assembly, and three of them are co-sponsoring bills to make information on pistol purchase permits and concealed handgun permits confidential. Both measures were filed when the new session began Jan. 31.

North Carolina law now requires that handgun purchasers get a permit from their local sheriff’s office. They must present it to the gun shop before the purchase can be made, though permits are not required for shotguns and rifles.

Sheriff’s offices also oversee the approval of concealed handgun permits in each county. The state’s “shall issue” policy means that applicants are eligible to receive such permits if they pass a criminal background check and meet a number of qualifications.

The name, age and home address of people who receive those permits can be obtained by any member of the public who asks for it, by state law.

Gaston County Sheriff Alan Cloninger has said repeatedly that if he were asked to provide personal information about gun permit holders, he would defy state law by refusing to do so.

Senate Bill 28 seeks to change that. It was filed by Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson, and is being co-sponsored by Sen. Kathy Harrington, R-Gaston.

In the state House, Rep. Justin Burr, R-Montgomery, has filed a companion measure, which is being co-sponsored by Bumgardner and Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston. House Bill 17 aims to make gun permit information confidential. It also would allow people with concealed handgun permits to carry their weapon into restaurants and eating establishments, so long as the business owner has not posted a notice prohibiting firearms on the premises.

Local push

Gaston County commissioners last month voted 6-0 to approve a resolution that asks the General Assembly to withhold gun permit records from the public in North Carolina. Commissioner Tracy Philbeck sponsored the action.

His push is largely based on distaste with the actions of several media outlets in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting in December. Some media outlets published the names and addresses of people in their communities who either obtained gun permits or concealed carry permits, in some cases setting up searchable, online databases.

Philbeck said 41 other states now prevent that information from being part of the public record. A Senate bill was filed in 2009 to do the same thing in North Carolina, when Democrats held the majority in Raleigh, but it gained no traction.

Page 2 of 3 - Philbeck said with Republicans in control, the time has come to act.

“I think we in Gaston County have led on this issue, and I think it can definitely have a positive effect,” he said.

State support

Harrington said in an emailed statement that her co-sponsorship of the Senate bill speaks for itself.

“I support this bill because sharing the personal private information of concealed carry permit holders could put their families’ safety and their property in jeopardy,” she said.

Sen. David Curtis, R-Iredell, who represents a portion of northern Gaston County, could not be reached for comment this week. Rep. Kelly Hastings, R-Gaston, said he has not read House Bill 17 and will form an opinion after he reviews it.

Torbett said the current public access to gun permits makes no sense to him. That information should be available only to law enforcement, and both the Senate and House bills would ensure that, he said.

“I see zero benefit from that being public record,” he said.

Gun permit records can be useful to criminals by letting them know what law-abiding residents might have guns, Torbett said. It can also have the reverse effect, giving criminals an idea of who doesn’t have a permit or a gun to protect themselves with, he said.

“To me, it’s just a privacy issue,” he said.

Bumgardner said he has been a concealed handgun permit holder for many years, and he has no problem with his name, address and personal information being on a public list. He said he can see the validity of either keeping the records public or making them private.

“I understand we keep a lot of records private,” he said. “I understand government needs to be as transparent as possible. But I also understand some people have situations where they need to keep the fact that they have a gun permit private.”

Bumgardner said he agreed to back the bill after sensing it has strong support.

“Basically, there’s a lot of sentiment in the House for this bill,” he said. “And I believe it will pass.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.

“An act to allow persons with concealed handgun permits to possess handguns in restaurants and eating establishments, if not prohibited by the posting of a notice prohibiting possession on the premises, and to provide for the confidentiality of information regarding concealed handgun permits and pistol purchase permits.”

Page 3 of 3 - Primary sponsor: Rep. Justin Burr, R-Montgomery

Local co-sponsors: Rep. John Torbett and Rep. Dana Bumgardner, R-Gaston